St. George Marathon Race Report

Finish time: 4:11:14 (Boston qualifying time)
Overall place: 2991/5636
Gender place: 1062/2473
Division place: 17/111

This was my second time running the St. George Marathon. The weather was certainly better this year. It was quite chilly at the start. My pre-race preparations did not go exactly as I would have liked. The porta-potty line we chose to stand in took almost 1/2 hour to move through. This allowed just barely enough time to run over to the gear check area, remove my warm-up clothes, and get in the start corral. I prefer to have a calmer pre-race experience.

I decided to run with the 4:15 hour pace group, led by Jodi (male runner who had paced the same group last year). I did make some changes in my race strategy. Last year I pulled ahead of the group on the big hill (Veyo Canyon). This year because of my hamstring injury which had been bothering me since July, I decided to take it easier on the uphills. I knew that running uphill might strain my hamstring, so I wanted to run smart.

When I reached Mile 16, I remembered how miserable I was at that point in last year's race. Due to the cold, wind and rain, I was almost hypothermic at that point and my race goal was definitely in jeopardy. This year, although my training was not as solid, I knew that I was feeling better than last year. I decided to stick with the pace group until Mile 20 and then pull ahead if I was feeling good.

I did exactly that. Although my quads were feeling the effects of the downhills, I knew I could run that last 6 miles hard. I knew I had plenty of cushion to make the Boston qualifying time, so I just focused on how many people I could pass in those remaining miles. No one passed me during the last 6 miles of the race.